Tom Loeffler: We are really excited about this upcoming event. We have gotten a tremendous reaction from both the media and the fans, especially the local media in New York. We are seeing Roman back in the States and it will be his first time fighting at Madison Square Garden. The tickets sales are very strong in anticipation of this event. It’s a large international event and will be telecast on Box Nation in the UK, WOWOW in Japan, in Nicaragua where Roman is from, Sat 1 in Germany, Polsat in Poland and in the Philippines, over 120 countries in total. This is a very strong WBC championship fight in the flyweight division and Roman was just announced as the consensus pound-for-pound fighter and I know a lot of people are looking forward to seeing him back in the ring and when he is fighting a guy like Brian Viloria who is a four-time world champion in two different divisions.

We need to thank a lot of people that made this fight happen – Mr. Honda ofTeiken Promotions, Viloria’s manager Gary Gittelsohn and Carlos Blandon the manager of Roman Gonzalez. These are the type of warriors looking to show their skills in the ring.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I want to thank God and I want to thank Teiken Promotions, HBO, K2 and everyone else that has made this possible. I am ready for October 17.

Roman, you have been voted by numerous outlets to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter – your reaction? And does it add pressure?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I am very happy about being voted the No. 1 pound-for-pound. I would like to thank my team because I believe it is a team effort and all of the work has paid off. It does not bring any pressure – it just brings motivation.

What is it the feeling to be where you are now as the No. 1 fighter in the world compared to where you came from?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: When I go back I would never have imagined that I could be No.1 pound-for-pound fighter or have won three world championships. I have taken care of myself. That is one of the great lessons I have learned. I am looking forward to October 17 to demonstrate my talent and be victorious once again.

Viloria is a tough opponent – how do you feel about fighting someone at this top level – the toughest you have fought in a few fights?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I know that Brian Viloria is an excellent champion and he is a great fighter. He is a tough opponent and it will be a hard fight. I have my arsenal and he has his arsenal and whoever is in the best physical condition on October 17 is going to win the fight.

Roman, you are the first at your weight to be No. 1 – does that make it even more special?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: It definitely makes it a lot more special and I would like to thank the Bible of Boxing among others for taking me into consideration. I thank God because without him I would not be able to be where I am at today.

Carbajal was the first at that weight to break into the top five, then Ricardo Lopez was in the top 5, and Mark Johnson – does you remember any of those?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: Ricardo Finito Lopez is the one that sticks out for me the most – the way he boxed.

I know Alexis Arguello is your mentor and I don’t think he was ever pound-for-pound, but how does would he feel about this?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I believe that Alexis Arguello would be the happiest out of all of my team, because he had a lot of trust in me and treated me like his son. He would not only be so happy to see me as the pound-for-pound No. 1 but to also have won three world championships. Out of the whole team he would be the happiest with my accomplishments.

Are there any other fighters out there you are looking to fight and what would be the super fight?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I would like to have a rematch with Estrada, which I think would be a very good, fight but right now I am focused on Brian Viloria on October 17.

How important is it for you to put on a good show at Madison Square Garden for the fans in the USA?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: I am so happy with MSG and HBO that they are giving me this opportunity to fight where a lot of great champions have fought.

Has Viloria been on your radar in the past couple of years since you have been hovering around the same weight class?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: As a matter of fact, after I fought Estrada, I was told the winner of our fight would fight the winner of Viloria-Tyson Marquez fight, but then Viloria decided to fight Estrada. That was the only time that Viloria’s name was mentioned as an opponent on my radar untilthis fight on October 17.

How difficult do you think it will be to get other top fighters in the ring with you?

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez: It definitely motivates me to be able to fight at Madison Square

Garden and HBO is giving me the opportunity. And I need to perform well so that HBO continues to give me the opportunity to fight the best fighters. But not just me – I hope that other fighters in my weight class can get, from HBO, the same opportunity.

How was the negotiation process for the first Estrada fight and do you think it will be tougher to negotiate the second time around?

Carlos Blandon: The first time that Roman Gonzalez fought Estrada, he was under different management (PRODESA), who had a good relationship with Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions, and at the time Estrada had just avenged his only loss at that time against Sanchez and won the Azteca title, so when they offered him the fight at 108lb. he accepted with ease because it was his first world title shot. Now it’s different because it is going to be a unification of titles and there is a lot more on the line, they both have bigger names and they have more exposure so negotiations will be a little bit harder. Under my management if Zanfer wants a shot at Gonzalez they have to come up with an offer that is worthy of both fighters, which are great champions.

How important is it to have two of the best boxers in the world fighting on the same card?

Tom Loeffler: It’s very important and one of the few and rare occasions when you have the top two fighters in boxing fighting on the same show and that’s why we have seen such a great reaction from the fans and the media. I just want to reiterate – Roman is one of the only fighters that could outshine GGG, like he did at the Forum where his performance was so outstanding and impressive that it got everyone talking about it. We are excited about having him back and it’s a great combination having two world title fights like this, Gennady defending his titles – unifying with a big puncher like IBF Champion David Lemieux and then Roman defending his title against a proven champion like Brian Viloria, it’s a tremendous event.

Do you think it will do 1 million pay-per-views or more?

Tom Loeffler: I think we are pretty conservative on our end, with ticket sales you can see everyone is very excited about the event. None of the fighters have been on HBO pay-per-view before so this is really us trying to make this event work. We will be happy with the success on pay-per-view and I think it opens a lot of doors for all the fighters featured on the show.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria joining the call…

Tom Loeffler: Brian Viloria brings additional international flavor to the promotion with a strong Filipino following. He is a four-time world champion and we are very excited about the match-up between Brian Viloria and Roman Gonzalez.

Gary Gittelsohn: As Brian’s manager I would like to say how grateful we are to be part of this event. Having been around boxing for quite a while I know there is no bigger stage than Madison Square Garden and no bigger platform that HBO Pay-Per-View. It’s a rare combination that showcases the little giants of the sport despite my efforts over the years to get recognition for them. I never understood the corporate bias against the smaller weights especially because traditionally the lighter weights are the most talent laden. If you ask any matchmaker, there are no bums occupying the lower weight classes. And any of those guys on any given day can become a champion. But this fight is special – it matches the two most compelling flyweights in the world. I can’t personally remember a match-up of this magnitude since Gonzalez-Carbajal – and that’s really saying something. I’m sure of one thing, after this fight the flyweights will not have to come begging to the premium cable networks to get airtime.

Let me say a few words about Brian Viloria. There is a certain axiom that says ‘never fall in love with a fighter, because he’ll eventually break your heart.’ I’m here to tell you that hasn’t been my experience. I love Brian Viloria and when you get to know him you’ll love him too. He has the soul of a champion. He is strong and skilled, he’s competitive, he’s self-confident, he’s composed and for this fight especially, he is very focused. Brian has been boxing for most of his life and inside the ring is where he is most comfortable. I am delighted to tell you that Brian’s preparation for October 17 has been smooth and there have been no hiccups whatsoever. His sparring has been tremendous. He has had a terrific mix of sparring partners. As a fan I have never been as excited about a co-feature on a Pay-Per-View card as I am about this fight.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Good morning everyone and thanks for joining us on this call. I have been preparing myself very, very hard for this fight. I have never been this focused compared to any fight I have had in the past. This training camp is one of my best training camps, only because I know the type of challenge I am going to be facing on October 17. I am facing the No. 1 pound-for pound fighter in the world – the best fighter in the world – and I do not want to leave any stone unturned going into this fight. I want to be in the best shape of my life. I want to be 100% focused mentally and physically for this fight. I think I have a lot to show, that I am still one of the best fighters out there, in the world, and there is no better place to showcase that then on HBO Pay-Per-View. I thank you guys for giving me this opportunity and Tom Loeffler, for having me fight in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

Do you see any weaknesses in his game that you can exploit?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I have been watching tapes endlessly during training camp for this fight. He does a lot of things correctly. I think, not to give too much away in terns of strategy, I just need to come in shape and prepare in the gym, and be able to fight the 12th round like I am fighting the first round, and just let my hands go. I don’t think Chocolatito has ever fought a guy that can hit as hard as me and I’m a bit faster than anyone he has ever fought. I think I possess a little bit of a challenge for Chocolatito in this fight. I have the experience. I’ve been in big battles in fights and I don’t think Chocolatito has ever fought a guy like me and I think all I need to do is come into the fight with a straight head and just let my hands go. I don’t think I could have trained any harder than I have and I am just ready – ready to go.

Tom, does GGG’s camp acknowledge that Chocolatito is No. 1?

Tom Loeffler: Gennady doesn’t get caught up in the ratings, he just wants to prove he’s the best middleweight. We are definitely excited that both Roman and Gennady are at the top of the polls. I think it was a consensus of whether it was going to be Chocolatito or Gennady, and having both of those fighters on the same show and I’m sure Brian has something to say about that. When I was discussing making the fight with Gary, there was no hesitation at all from Brian’s side. Brian is very excited for this challenge and both fights will be electric and non-stop action. So to answer your question, as far as the ratings, I think it is a poll that Gennady would like to be rated No. 1 but he is excited to be where he is right now in the sport.

Do you feel that this is a great time for the flyweight division, where you have been for a long time?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Yes, it’s been a long time. I remember there were a couple of fights where I thought it was worthy of being on the networks. The Marquez fights were back-to-back battles – a lot of people enjoyed that fight and I still get a lot of comments about that fight from fight fans and people on the street come up to me and say ‘that fight was amazing.’ Finally we are able to showcase what fans that enjoy the lighter weight divisions have been watching. This is a bigger stage and I’m really proud to be able to showcase my talents and I know Roman Gonzalez is really excited. It also takes two to tango. You can’t just have one big name – you need another big name – and in this case Roman is the big fish and everyone wants to see him fight. I’m also going to give him a big challenge. I think for the past couple of years a lot of people have been missing out on some great fights in the lower weight divisions for a long time now and finally thank you to everyone who is giving me this opportunity to fight on HBO and to showcase to the world what they have been missing out on for the past couple of years.

You came out with the big group that had so much promise, from the 2000 Olympics, and here we are, 15 years later and you are the last one going – not only just boxing but fighting at a world championship level.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I miss those guys – Jeff Lacy had a great run. Jermain Taylor, Rocky Juarez…some of those guys I look back and they had tremendous talent. That team was stacked and anyone of us could have been a world champion – and some did become world champions and some of us didn’t. A lot of the credit goes to how I live my life outside of the boxing ring. I try to take care of myself not only during training camp but when I have free time I try to keep myself in shape and try to lead a healthy life and that’s what I credit my longevity in this sport to. A lot of my friends are either retired or doing other things. My passion is boxing and I have been born to do this. I feel like I have a lot more to give in this sport, there is a lot left in the tank and I just love doing this and I want to continue doing this until I have to hang up the gloves. Right now I am just trying to take it one fight at a time and I am just going to try and give it as much as I can on October 17 and give it my all and leave everything in the ring just to show everybody who I am and what I do in terms of being an action fighter and being a great fighter.

You lost to Estrada and he beat Estrada – does that have any bearing in your opinion on the way this fight may go?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I think styles make fights. Estrada does have a difficult style and strategy. Each fight is different and I know this fight is going to be hard too but I think I have what it takes to overcome a fighter like Roman Gonzalez. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past I think I fought the wrong fight when I lost to him. I don’t think I was in as great shape as I am now and as mentally focused as I am now for this fight against Gonzalez. This is going to be a totally different fight then what happened in the fight against Estrada.

You have been one of the best fighters in the lower weight class for some time – had some great fights and some setbacks. Do you think a win here will cement you as one of the best fighters of this generation?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I am just going to go into this fight with an open mind. I am going to try and enjoy myself and not only get the win but try to take it in as much as I can. I am having a great training camp. I have never been so ready, in a long time, as I am now looking back to all of my other training camps. I am so focused and so pumped for this fight and I think all of the hard work is going to show on October 17. I know I have what it takes to win and I hope I come out with a W. I have so much confidence in myself for this fight. Whatever happens happens. I am going to go into to this fight and do what I have to do and try and do as much as I can to pull out that win. Cementingmy legacy doesn’t matter I just want to come out with the win – just give it my all on October 17.

Have you fought anyone with a similar style to Roman Gonzalez?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I haven’t fought Roman yet so I could only answer that after I fight him then try to compare style-wise. By the looks of it, Roman is a great fighter and has a great style. I don’t know if he has the punching power or the ability to take punches but we will see and after October 17 then we can compare.

To what do you attribute this new attention to the lower weight classes?

Gary Gittelsohn: I think the answer is self-evident. Roman Gonzalez has sort of catapulted onto the scene and captured peoples’ attention. With ascendancy – we all embrace it because a rising tide is great for the sport in general and for the lightweight divisions. People are captivated by heavyweights over time but there has been a dearth of heavyweights with the exception of the Klitschko’s who for many years have fought mostly in Germany and off of HBO. So the sport in general was rudderless after Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. But when you have someone who has become as romanticized as much as Chocolatito who has now become in most peoples’ minds the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and you have someone who has a good a reputation as Brian Viloria, who has been laboring in the trenches for many years begging to get on the networks we finally have the sun, the moon and the stars all aligned. I am hoping and expecting that this fight will not let anyone down. You can never choreograph how a fight goes, but this is one that I will bet my last dollar on will meet all expectations and likely exceed them.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I can never figure out why our division has never been looked onthe same way as the higher weights and the middleweight divisions but I can assure you that come October 17, a lot of people will figure out why they have not paid a lot of attention to it only because we are going to show a great fight. You are going to see two warriors go at it. It is going to epitomize boxing as what it is. It is a great time to be in the lighter weight divisions. They took a leap of faith with us and we are not going to disappoint, I promise.

Did you see the Tyson fight over the weekend?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I did not get a chance to watch it. I am heavily into training and I also have a son that I try to take care of who I spend all of my free time with and I enjoy that a lot. My main focus right now is Roman Gonzalez and training for him and training really hard for him.

What have you done to correct some of the flaws that have led to your losses?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: When I look back at it I don’t think I took some of those fights so seriously as I should have. There were circumstance I got myself into. I didn’t give my all into training camps. There were times I thought I could have done a lot more, pushed myself a little more extra. For this camp I pulled out all the stops. I eat, live and breathe Roman Gonzalez right now and I think I’ve done that for the last couple of fights now compared to the fights that I have lost. Whenever I am faced with the challenge such as October 17, I always push myself extra hard and for the fights that I lost I didn’t give that type of push. I think that’s the difference.

When the fight was offered what made you think this is the right time for this guy?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I think it is my time. My last three fights ended in knockouts. When I lost my fight to Estrada I always want to get back on the horse again and Roman is the type of fighter that will propel me and my legacy to where I want to be. Now that he is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world I think beating him will also cement my legacy. Not is the time to do it. I am getting up in age and I can’t wait any longer, I need to do it now. Al of my fights have been great and now is the prime time to face the challenge of Roman Gonzalez on October 17. It is all about timing and now I have the confidence and the strength and the will and the drive to go up against a fighter like him.

Gonzalez has choirboy looks but killer knockout ratio; but you are the more experienced fighter – how do you plan to win?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: There is no secret – it is just working hard in training camp, getting up extra early, doing my roadwork, doing my strength and conditioning, getting the right sparring and just grinding it out every day and not cutting any corners. I don’t think I have cut any corners for this fight in fact I have gone beyond to get myself prepared for this fight. And doing the little things like eating right and not staying up late to get myself prepared for a fighter like Roman Gonzalez. I haven’t put myself in a position where I am stressing myself out too much. I am in a great place right now, I think I have trained really hard. I went into camp right after my last fight and if the weigh-in was tomorrow I would make weight. That is what a lot of fighters have to worry about – having to drop down in weight so much and I didn’t have to worry about that. This training camp has had no bumps in it and I’ll be ready for October 17 and in a couple weeks I will be ready to get in the ring with Roman and we are going to go. I am going to do my best and let my hands go and give the fans the fight that they want to see.

What do you study when you watch tapes?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: We study tendencies and kinks in the armor and see if you can expose certain flaws that you see in a fighter. You want to see certain tendencies that he has when he throws certain punches and if there are certain things he likes to do in certain situations and try to work your style against that and try to find the weaknesses. Every fight is different and every fighter has a different strategy for each fight – sometimes you have to box and sometimes you have to change it up and slug it out. Try to link the tendencies to the mistakes and use that to neutralize him.

So you have a plan A but need to have secondary plans if that doesn’t work?

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: Most times that is what you try to prepare yourself for and you have to be versatile so you are not stuck trying to figure out what is going on, like what Bruce Lee said “you try to be like water and react.” You need to be able to change it up, if the body shots are not working you have to find a way to get into the weakness. You have to be versatile and not stick to one game plan.

The 1994 Carbajal-Chiquita rematch they earned seven figure purses – a first for flyweights – and that was actually part of the promotion. Has any flyweights earned as much since?

Gary Gittelsohn: No and I have had this conversation with Bob Arum many times. I am a businessman and we all understand the economics of the sport – you don’t put $2M purses up unless you know that the promotion can support those kinds of expenses. That was the last particular time that the flyweights had captured the imagination of the general public. Even thought Brian is one of the few known commodities in this division, Chocolatito’s ascendency has stirred the pot a bit so that in the future you can see purses rising to more meaningful levels and should Brian come out victorious on October 17 and depending on how the fight goes, the rematch might command that. Dance partners are always important and that goes with any division – there is Mayweather-Pacquiao and there is Mayweather-Berto – the economics are very different.

In Closing…

Gary Gittelsohn: Not to repeat myself but there are going to be fireworks and it is going to be great. I urge everyone to tune in to the PPV to see this fight because this is one of those rare times where the co-feature is every bit as good as the main event. What K2 Promotions is offering here – they really should be commended – this is real value for the dollar. I can tell you that Brian Viloria is coming here to win this fight and surprise a lot of people and those are the kind of events and kind of happenings that people talk about for years to come so don’t miss this one.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria: I can just say that I have done all the work and I hope everyone is

going to tune in on October 17 to see the final product and it is going to be an explosive fight. There are going to be a lot of fireworks going off that night and this is going to be the type of show that everyone is going to want to spend their money on and take their time off to sit down and watch and enjoy the show.

Tom Loeffler: Thanks to the teams for being on the call. We are going to have a full schedule of media events for fight week. We will have a media workout on Tuesday and the main event press conference on Wednesday. This co-feature is so big that we are going to have a separate press conference for that on Thursday and the weigh-in will be on Friday. We have priced the pay-per-view for the fans and when there are two great fights like we have there is great value at $49.95 – Golovkin vs. Lemieux and Chocolatito vs. Viloria. There are two additional fights on the pay-per-view, which include the IBF eliminator between Tureano Johnson vs. Eamonn O’Kane and Luis Ortiz, the big punching heavyweight from Cuba versus Matias Ariel Vidondo from Argentina.

Tickets at Madison Square Garden are virtually sold out – as of yesterday there were 292 tickets left. So we look forward to everyone showing up at Madison Square Garden The World’s Most Famous Arena and watching it on HBO Pay-Per-View.

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Golovkin vs. Lemieux is presented by K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with GGG Promotions and Eye of the Tiger Management. The event will take place Saturday, October 17 from Madison Square Garden and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. ET and the first fight begins at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Tickets for GOLOVKIN vs. LEMIEUX are on sale now and priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 and $50 and can purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster

On Saturday, October 17, HBO on pay-per view at Madison Square Garden, there will be a highly anticipated middleweight matchup between undefeated World #1 and WBA/WBC/IBO middleweight Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, and IBF champion David Lemieux.

The 26 year old Lemieux, (34-2, 31 KOs), of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, enters the fight riding a three-year, nine-bout winning streak, with seven of those victories coming by way of knockout. His current streak includes wins over Fernando Guerrero, Gabriel Rosado, and an IBF title winning effort against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam. The win against N’Jikam was Lemieux’s biggest and he fought like it as he dropped his opponent four times (once in the second, twice in the fifth, and again in the seventh) en route to a wide victory.

When asked about his upcoming fight with Golovkin, Lemieux responded: “A lot of fighters are scared, I’m not scared of any fighter,” he answered. “I’m not going in there to fight Golovkin; I’m going in there to win against Golovkin! It’s going to be the difference.”

Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs), a native of Kazakhstan, now training in Big Bear, Calif., came from a sterling amateur background having won Olympic silver in 2004 and winning the World Championships in 2002 and 2003. He’s had significant amateur victories over Daniel Geale, Andre Dirrell, Lucian Bute, Andy Lee, and Matvey Korobov.

In the professional ranks, Golovkin has beaten every man he’s faced, including Kassim Ouma, Gabriel Rosado, Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, Daniel Geale, and Martin Murray. He holds the WBC World middleweight title, IBO World middleweight title, and WBA Super World middleweight title.

Predictions:

Robert Uzzell

This is going to be a good fight for as long as it lasts. Golovkin isn’t going to take too many backwards steps. Lemieux isn’t going to take too many backwards steps. Both fighters have knocked out about 90% of their opponents. Lemieux is hot right now, on a three-year winning streak. Golovkin is on a 33 fight (career) winning streak and stopped 20 opponents in a row.

For Lemieux to win, he has to get inside of Golovkin, get off, and then tie up. He has to throw a looping right hand behind the ear and over Gennady’s guard. I can envision David starting fast as he’s done before and try to catch Gennady cold. David has shown the ability to use footwork and pivot at angles and hurt his opponent with an array of combinations. He’ll need to do this if he wants to win.

While it may be beneficial for both fighters to try to save some of their fire for the late rounds, I doubt it happens. It’s like Prodigy from Mobb Deep said in The Infamous Prelude: “It’s all about who gets who first…”

Golovkin is there to be hit and so is Lemieux. If this were Gabe Rosado, I’d say Rosado could score and move the entire fight and have an outside chance against Triple G. However, this isn’t Gabe Rosado. Lemieux presents power that Golovkin has not had to deal with since who knows when. Rubio and Stevens had power, but not the raw power that Lemieux possesses. For people like Rosado and Monroe, Jr, the plan was simple: Punch, grab, and move. Repeat 200 times. The idea was to frustrate Golovkin. In the case of Lemieux, the plan is much simpler: DESTROY!

I believe that Lemieux is going to land on Golovkin and land hard. Don’t be surprise if he hurts, wobbles, or even sends Golovkin to the canvas. It would be the first knockdown that Golovkin ever had, amateur or pro. THAT’S HOW HARD LEMIEUX HITS! As the fight goes longer, I also favor Lemieux. He seems to have found a way to keep his power in the middle-to-late rounds.

However, once Golovkin is hurt, I think he’ll survive and go back to his corner with the mind to box a bit and then try to take Lemieux out. That’ll be the difference in this fight. Golovkin will find a way to survive Lemieux, but Lemieux won’t find a way to survive Golovkin. An uppercut will start it and a hook will land to finish him. Golovkin KO in the seventh.

Chip Mitchell

If Gennady Golovkin loses this fight, I’m not sure how much “I-told-you-so” will be found on the Twitter universe or on Facebook. If Gennady Golovkin loses this fight, there will be so many more “I-told-you-so’s” spoken by people named Ward, Alvarez, Cotto, Mayweather, Quillin, you name it. If Gennady Golovkin loses this fight, many a boxing writer, fighter, and armchair fan will clamor about how they knew he wasn’t the monster people said he was. The 345-5 amateur record was a fluke. The 30 straight wins as a professional were against all bums. The 20 straight knockouts were a gimmick.

If David Lemieux loses this fight, people will say he wasn’t quite ready for the task. If David Lemieux loses this fight, people will say that he’s been there before against the likes of Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine. If David Lemieux loses this fight, people will say that he was always a B-minus fighter and they expected Golovkin to win the fight from the start.

These outcomes are why I’m picking Golovkin. One man can afford to lose while the other you may have to kill in order to beat. It’s kind of like Florida State football in the new, non-BCS format. No matter how talented and good they are, they can’t lose early or late in the season and make the playoff. They are in the ACC and we all know that a one-loss SEC team will get just as much consideration as an undefeated ACC team. Consequently, a one-loss ACC team can forget it!

Golovkin still needs a big name to fight. Simultaneously, they are trying to build him up as a pay-per view star. One way to do that is to have people who watched the fight tell people who missed the fight about the punch heard across the world. Gennady knows that he must not only win and win soundly, but he must put on a show. I think he’s going to ask some questions that Lemieux will not be able to answer.

If Golovkin wins, but is shook or wobbled in the process, it won’t stop his detractors. I think Lemieux will have his moment (not plural, just one), but Golovkin will end it early.

If you jab to Lemieux’s gut or chest (or even his chin), he drops his left hand and kind of leans his head into range for an easy right hand. It’s simple math. That is what will start the beginning and bring on the end. I expect a simple one-two jab and right hand to drop Lemieux hard. I think the kid has heart and he will rise. This is where Golovkin is dangerous, but where he’ll also need to be careful. Lemieux will become desperate and try to land something big of his own. I don’t think he will and I think fans will be hitting New Jersey Turnpike sometime after the third or fourth round. This one won’t last. Golovkin by early KO.

On Saturday, October 17 HBO on pay-per view at Madison Square Garden, there will be an intriguing matchup between undefeated WBC World flyweight champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and World #6 challenger Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria.

The 28-year-old Gonzalez, out of Nicaragua, sports an incredible record of 43-0, with 37 KOs. He enters the fight off a big TKO in his HBO debut against the durable Edgar Sosa. You may not recognize many (or any) of the names on his resume, but Chocolatito can fight! You’ll see it within one round of watching him in action. In Viloria, Gonzalez may face his toughest test to date.

On facing Viloria, Gonzalez says, “Viloria is good, he hits hard. After the sixth round, he’ll slow down. He has a very good crossover right, but he’s not a boxer who can move. If you cannot dance and have no legs, I will find you. He goes toe to toe because that’s his style of fighting. We have faced similar opponents, and I was able to knock them out.”

Viloria (36-4, 22 KOs), a Hawaiian native, trains at Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. Viloria comes in having won four straight, including his last three by KO. Viloria has wins over Omar Soto, Hernan “Tyson” Marquez, Giovani Segura, and Ulises Solis.

Viloria on facing Gonzalez:

“I’ve always gotten up for big, huge fights like this, especially fights where I’ve been the underdog. I actually relish in that a bit. They don’t know if I still have what it takes to beat a guy like Roman Gonzalez. This is the type of fight that gets me pumped, gets my blood flowing and extremely motivates me in trying to perform to the best that I can,” Viloria stated.

“In my eyes, I don’t think he’s really been tested the way I’m going to test him on October 17, but he’s very technical. He does the right things in the ring at the right time. I haven’t really seen anybody put a lot of pressure on him or try to exchange with him as much as they should,” Viloria said of his opponent.

Predictions:

Robert Uzzell

This is going to be a great test for Gonzalez. Viloria has a big edge in experience and will use it to his advantage on fight night. At least I think he will. Something tells me Viloria is going to try to put his name in the books and get Chocolatito before Chocolatito gets him. This may be Viloria’s final shot at a major belt. He’s the former IBF light flyweight titleholder. He’s the former WBA and WBO flyweight champion. He wants a taste of a title again, this time the WBC.

He had a fantastic performance against Omar Soto in his last fight. He dropped Soto three times in the first round, and the fight ended a short time later. It was a rematch of their first fight, with Viloria earning a split decision back in 2010.

It is tough spot for Viloria because he has the power to slug it out. By doing so, he plays into Gonzalez’s game. If he boxes, he has a chance because he’s a technical guy. He has good feet and balance, which he will need to use by circling Chocolatito clockwise and counter-clockwise. He needs to keep as busy as possible in this fight. As long as he maintains a decent work rate should he choose to box, he has a shot. He knows his next loss could be his last so there’s no telling what route he will take to win. He’s a four-time world champion who knows what he’s doing. I’m excited and interested in the game plan his team develops for this fight.

In order for Gonzalez to win, don’t be surprised if he starts out patient. He has the better stamina and he might wait to see which Viloria shows up- the boxer or the go-for-broke Hawaiian Punch machine. He could elect to brawl with Viloria, as he’s very confident his power will be too much for the older fighter.

The fight will be on HBO pay-per-view and while Viloria should try to use his boxing skills, I think he will try to impress fans that paid good money for the card. He needs to fight as if it is his last shot at a title. It likely will be. My thought is he’s going to try to rush Gonzalez early and see if he can score something big. If not, he will pick his spots until he sees an opening. I don’t think he will find anything and during the time that he’s being patient, Gonzalez will find an opening of his own and catch Viloria.

Viloria will get up and fight with warrior spirit, but he will suffer multiple knockdowns along the way to an early stoppage within five rounds. I’ll go withChocolatito Gonzalez byKO before the fifth round!

Chip Mitchell

I like this matchup for both fighters. You can argue that Viloria is the stiffest test that Gonzalez will have in his 43 fights.

For Viloria to win, he has to box and brawl, mix it up if you will. The first four rounds will tell us what we need. Viloria must let Gonzalez know who is boss early by using his technical skill and “power box”. In other words, when he throws a combination, throw it out there to be meaningful. Put a little mustard on it. What he doesn’t want to do is throw a lazy jab out there just to test the waters or keep Gonzalez at bay. That’s when a counter shot of epic extent could turn the fight.

Odds are during the first few rounds, Gonzalez will respect Viloria enough because of his experience. The message must be sent early. Viloria’s endurance isn’t his biggest strength so the first half of the fight is critical. Gonzalez admitted as much when he stated that Viloria would slow down after six rounds. Gonzalez may be right; however, Viloria should use his solid boxing to supplement the brawling in spots. Viloria isn’t lightning-quick, but he has fast hands in close. I like his concise combinations when he’s in range and inside of his opponent. His footwork is decent also, which could serve him well. What I don’t like is that Viloria’s work rate slows at certain points in some fights. If that happens against Gonzalez, he will be stopped. He has to maintain a steady and solid pace in order to have a chance.

For Gonzalez, it is simple. Everyone knows about your power. Your last fight was also your HBO debut. You tried to put on a show and you did. Congrats. Viloria is a little different. This fight is your HBO pay-per-view debut and don’t let the bright lights change your game. Remain calm and don’t force the KO. Work hard to wear your opponent down; you said he would wear down anyway. If you fight patiently, Viloria will eventually open himself up for the big shot you want to land.

I think the money shot will come via a counter and not a lead punch. Originally, I leaned for an early knockout, but now I’ll go with a KO in the middle of the fight. Chocolatito KO 6!

Bonus Picks:

On November 7 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, WBO World welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley defends against Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios. Bradley, fresh off a victory over Jessie Vargas, is 1-1-1 in his last three fights. Rios, a winner of two in a row, stopped Mike Alvarado at the beginning of the year.

Bradley is 32-1-1, with 12 KOs. Rios is 33-2-1, with 24 KOs.

Robert Uzzell:

I like Timothy Bradley. I like Bam Bam Rios. I think they are both at a crossroads in their careers. This fight doesn’t mean a lot in terms of career achievement for Bradley. But then again, it means everything to both fighters. Go figure…

For Bradley to win he must box. That’s all he has to do. That sounds simple, right? Not for Bradley. He makes fights more difficult than they have to be sometimes. All Tim needs to do is box. He was disciplined enough to do it against a sure Hall of Famer in Juan Manuel Marquez. For some reason he didn’t do it against other fighters. It’s almost as if he fights down to the level of his competition.

Just box Tim. He brought Teddy Atlas in as his new trainer. Maybe Teddy will catch Tim’s ear about the discipline of boxing a brawler and not going face-up with him. Get inside of Rios punches and throw and tie him up or move. If Tim boxes and does these things, he will win. He will win big.

Rios needs to make the fight as ugly as he can. He needs to bully Tim, trash talk, get dirty, or whatever he needs to do. If you lose a point, it’s okay. The idea is to try to sucker Tim into a war. If it’s toe to toe then I favor Rios. Something tells me he is going to challenge Bradley’s manhood and Bradley will oblige and get into a few toe-to-toe exchanges. If it becomes a war, I like Rios’s chances to win.

Both fighters have deteriorated a bit because of the shots they’ve absorbed in past fights. That favors Rios. I also think Rios will be rewarded for his aggressive style if he can land a good shot or two each round. However, I’m going with Tim Bradley in this one. Timothy Bradley by close, but unanimous decision

Chip Mitchell:

Timothy Bradley should box and not take unnecessary risks in this fight. He should get inside, throw his quick combinations, and get out. He should not allow himself to be duped into fighting the Brandon Rios type of style. We want the Marquez Bradley, not the Provodnikov Bradley. He can do this by making Rios move left and right and have to chase him around the ring. Catch him out of position and then pop him with shots. Clock him and turn him. Clock him and turn him. All… Night… Long… (in my Lionel Richie voice).

One factor that could work for or against Bradley is that he is no longer with trainer Joel Diaz. He canned Diaz in favor of longtime Friday Night Fights commentator Teddy Atlas. It’ll be interesting to see what Atlas brings to Bradley.

Brandon Rios should provoke Tim as much as possible. He should make the fight rough and if Tim decides to brawl, Rios should throw as many punches as possible. In this scenario, Tim will get off more shots as he has faster hands. However, Brandon should be content with taking two or three punches to get in one hard shot.

This fight should be easier than the Provo and Vargas fights for Bradley. Should be. I think the corner advice both fighters receive could be key. I’ll go with Timothy Bradley by decision.

On Saturday, October 3 on HBO, StubHub Center in Carson, California plays host to a WBC World super lightweight (junior welterweight) showdown. The main event features former WBC titleholder Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse and undefeated World #4 ranked Viktor “The Iceman” Postol.

The soon to be 33-year-old Matthysse, out of Argentina, sports a record of 37-3, with 34 KOs. He has wins over Ruslan Provodnikov, Lamont Peterson, Humberto Soto, and DeMarcus Corley. He’s also been in with Devon Alexander, Zab Judah, and Danny Garcia, with highly debatable losses to Judah and Alexander. Matthysse is a winner of his last three fights and comes into StubHub stopping two of his last three. He went the distance in his last fight, a 12-round majority decision over the iron chinned Provodnikov.

Here is what Matthysse had to say about Postol:

“Postol isn’t anything big. He boxes well but that’s it. I saw part of his (title eliminator) against Selcuk Aydin but other than that, there aren’t very many videos of him on the Internet. I’m not taking him lightly though, because he’s at the top of the rankings for a reason.

“Postol is tall like John Molina, but Molina came to fight (in what was the 2014 fight of the year). Postol, I don’t think so. He moves his left very well, fights at a distance, seems fast on his feet, and has excellent head movement. Against Aydin, he got off to a slow start but then dominated and got the knockout. He’s good, but I’m confident that I’ll be the WBC world champion.”

Those sound like fighting words.

Postol (27-0, 11 KOs), from Kiev, Ukraine is 31 years old. He will be making his fourth appearance in the United States for this bout. He holds wins over DeMarcus Corley, Hank Lundy, and Selcuk Aydin. In his last fight (at Barclays Center in Brooklyn), he outpointed Jake Giuriceo over eight rounds.

Here is what he had to say about the upcoming fight:

“I am glad that I am finally getting my chance to fight for the WBC world title after all those hurdles and delays. To get to this fight, I had to go through six years of hard work and dedication in the gym and in the ring. I am ready mentally and physically to win this fight and bring the world title back to the Ukraine.”

Predictions:

Robert Uzzell

It is funny that Viktor Postol is from The Ukraine. He reminds me of Wladimir Klitschko, but at 140 pounds. He favors Wlad by the way he swings his jab. He favors Wlad with his fighting stance. He favors Wlad with his footwork… or lack of footwork. However, I can’t say he favors Wlad with his power.

The fight should play out with Matthysse taking the lead and Postol putting shots together as counters. This is about pace and whose pace wins the moment. Postol wants a slow pace where he can be comfortable. Matthysse wants it as wild, crazy, and ugly as possible.

This fight is about length and height (Lennox Lewis) against a low center of gravity and power (Tyson). Whose style will win?

I think the fight will start with Matthysse coming hard at Postol and trying to test his body and whiskers. He wants to see what Postol is made of early in this fight. Based on his comments, I think Lucas doesn’t believe that Postol is in his class. He believes that his pressure will get to Postol, whether early or late and he will get him out of there.

Postol on the other hand has to send a message early. He throws good combinations and has sneaky power. He has to use his big weapon in this fight, which is the jab. Even though he doesn’t have many knockouts, his power is based on his accuracy. He knocked out the very durable Aydin, which isn’t easy to do. Outside of going straight back, I’m not sure Postol can move enough to stay out of Matthysse’s range.

Matthysse needs to pressure Postol to the ropes and attack his body. He should then attack up top when he sees an opening. He should bully Viktor as much as possible and stay inside. He won’t be able to outbox the taller Postol as he did against Provodnikov.

This fight will come down to who will make who fight their fight. I watched Postol’s fight with Lundy. I was impressed with Postol’s hand speed. However, I am not impressed with how he handles himself at times when opponents come inside on him. If an opponent isn’t strong or is not a big puncher, that’s one thing. If the opponent is Lucas Matthysse, that’s another story. I think this fight will be close. Even so, I’m leaning towards Lucas Matthysse. Lucas Matthysse by majority decision

Chip Mitchell

This fight could play out like Leo Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares. You have Postol (Santa Cruz) who is a 5 foot 11 super lightweight going up against a 5 foot 6 Matthysse (Mares). I’m not sure how the styles will mesh, but you figure something has to give either way.

Postol is extremely tall for this weight class and the next three classes for that matter. To win, he has to jab Matthysse to death. I mean I want to see a mouse under Matthysse’s eye by the fifth round if I’m Postol. Postol has an excellent jab and he uses his height well. Sometimes he throws his jab as Wladimir Klitschko does- where he winds it in a clockwise circle before the throws it. Postol needs to slip shots with his upper body and counter, just as Santa Cruz attempted against Mares. Similarly, he may have to weather an early assault by Matthysse by moving and grabbing at times. One effective technique he uses is that he uses his arm to fend off his opponents. Whereas Floyd Mayweather Jr uses his elbow, Postol uses his hand to push his opponent’s head in whatever direction he needs. That could be a key in this fight.

Postol is as technically sound as you can be as a fighter. He’s very accurate with his punches. He will need to be accurate in this one if he wants the big payoff to come to fruition. It won’t be easy, but he needs to show some rage against The Machine if he wants to be victorious. Postol doesn’t have many knockouts, but he did stop Selkuk Aydin, which is impressive. Jesus Soto Karass and Robert Guerrero couldn’t perform this feat so it shows that there is some pop in his arsenal. Postol was a sparring partner with Manny Pacquiao and maybe he’s learned how to adapt to pressure in those sessions.

Matthysse has to get under Postol’s jab and throw to the body often. He needs to take Viktor’s legs away and an early body assault is the order of the day. Matthysse should explode as often as possible with power shots and try to take the fight out of Postol.

Matthysse shouldn’t follow Postol around the ring, but he should cut the ring off. Postol doesn’t move that well laterally so I expect Lucas to find success. This is a good matchup. I’m not sure how it will play from an entertainment standpoint but it will clear some things up in the division. I’m looking forward to a Matthysse/Crawford matchup so I have to go with Matthysse in this one. Lucas Matthysse by late TKO

Bonus Picks:

Also on October 3, Showtime will televise a bogus WBA matchup for the vacant World junior welterweight (super lightweight) title. The fight will be between World #9 (and #2 WBA) Adrien “The Problem” Broner and Khabib “The Hawk” Allakhverdiev, who has a #5 WBA ranking but doesn’t appear in the World rankings. Both fighters are coming off losses, yet they fight for the WBA strap. Hmm…

Robert Uzzell:

I hear Adrien Broner is in the best shape of his life. He had better be. Allakhverdiev is no walk in the park. I’ve recently seen video of Broner and he looks trim and ready to go. Allakhverdiev has fought only twice since 2012, including a debatable unanimous decision loss to Jessie Vargas. I thought he beat Vargas in that fight and he’s coming to Broner’s backyard to prove a point.

Broner has been exposed. If he loses here, maybe you can catch his next fight on Netflix. My guess is this will be a close one. At first I figured Broner’s athleticism and the fact that Allakhverdiev can’t punch would be the deciding factors in Broner’s favor. Now I’m starting to think that even though Broner is fighting at home, this fight could be close. The reason: John David Jackson.

John David will come up with a blueprint to beat Broner. Allakhverdiev will not be passive like he usually is in fights. He will take some risks in this fight. It’s his first fight with Jackson, so I’m not sure how well they’ll do. However, I have a feeling Allakhverdiev will be up to task.

The one drawback is that Allakhverdiev has been too inactive. In the end, I think Adrien Broner will win a decision, but it might be closer than people think. Adrien Broner by unpopular majority decision.

Chip Mitchell

Adrien Broner had better not sleep on Allakhverdiev. The world had better not sleep on John David Jackson. Both guys are coming off of losses, but yet they are fighting for the WBA strap. #BoxingHasNoRules

Allakhverdiev has a few tools that could give Broner some problems. He has a good jab, he’s a southpaw, and throws to the body. On fight night, his size may bother Broner. You see, it’s a lot harder on fight night when you aren’t 15 pounds heavier than your opponent is. This isn’t Gavin Rees, Vicente Escobedo, or Eloy Perez. Allakhverdiev is a fighter that will weigh in at between139 ¼ pounds and 140 pounds and rehydrate on fight night as much as Broner.

Adrien Broner seems motivated based on photos and videos I see of him working out. His physique looks on par for the course. He’s fighting at home, he’s fighting for a belt, and he’s in great shape. All seems good.

However, Adrien seems to be sidetracked as of late in a Twitter beef with Dan Rafael. Here comes the discipline thing, or lack thereof.

After some thought, I’ll take Broner to get by in this one. I’ll say Broner by close, but unanimous decision.

The Fight Journal’s Prediction Week will be here next week. From Monday to Friday next week Robert Uzzell and Chip Mitchell will give our predictions on upcoming fights for the final quarter of 2015. We’ll also add a couple of bonus picks of randomly selected fights to spice up things a bit.

Here is the schedule of fights we will give our analysis and picks on:

Monday

Lucas Matthysse vs. Viktor Postol in a fight for the vacant WBC World super lightweight title.